The Venture Edge
Musings at the intersection of business and life-
Starting a Business
September 01, 2010
There are plenty of articles out there on the biggest mistakes you don't want to make when you start a business. In fact, I've probably written one or two of them, but at least I can proudly say I actually committed a few of those mistakes so I know for a fact they're mistakes you shouldn't make. What disappoints me is when a consultant ( an entrepreneur wannabe and professional service provider) who does business plans and financial projections for startups claims to be an expert on the subject and completely misses perhaps two of the biggest reasons new businesses fail.
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Starting a Business
March 22, 2010
As you may have noticed, I have been following serial entrepreneur Kevin Daum's quest to attain New York Times bestseller status for his upcoming book Roar! Get Heard in the Sales and Marketing Jungle. The book is a sales book (specifically, a parable) based on the Passover passage about the wise son, the wicked son, the simple son, and the son unable to ask. Coincidentally, Passover starts in a week.
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Starting a Business
June 10, 2009
When you think of technology businesses, it's not likely that South Dakota is the first place that comes to mind. After all, for most of you, the entire center of the US is simply "fly-over" country. But I have had the good fortune to discover untapped opportunity there through the work I've been doing with the institute I co-founded, N2TEC Institute.
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Starting a Business
May 26, 2009
We all talk about friends and family money as an important source of startup capital, but before you grab that cash from mom and dad, you might want to consider why it may not be a good idea. Here are the top five reasons why you shouldn't take money from relatives.
- My parents believe in me and want to do this. Of course, they believe in you - what they believe is that you're a good person so you would do nothing less than take their small investment and turn it into a fortune that will take care of them for the rest of their lives, right? Remember, to your parents you're always a kid--even if you're 45! So, if you have their money, they're going to watch it and you like a hawk. That sounds like fun, doesn't it?
- My parents believe in me and want to do this. Of course, they believe in you - what they believe is that you're a good person so you would do nothing less than take their small investment and turn it into a fortune that will take care of them for the rest of their lives, right? Remember, to your parents you're always a kid--even if you're 45! So, if you have their money, they're going to watch it and you like a hawk. That sounds like fun, doesn't it?
